Cultural approach: focused on shared ideas and beliefs of groups within different political systems.
Believes that group ideas and values influence behaviour of people within the group. Explains why
societies behave differently to one another.
Rational approach: compares individuals in different political systems. Individuals pursue rational
self-interests to achieve political goals. Useful approach for comparing members of executive,
legislature, political parties, pressure groups and more.
Structural approach: compares institutions in each political system and processes within each
institution. Believes that different political structures such as two political systems having a different
type of constitution will lead to different political outcomes.
Nature of constitution
UK US
Unwritten Codified
Evolved over time Ratified in 1789 in a single document consisting
Unentrenched – easily changed constitution of 7 articles and 27 amendments
through Acts of Parliament Entrenched – requires a supermajority (2/3
Parliamentary sovereignty – no Parliament is members of both houses of Congress) in
bound by predecessors and decisions aren’t support of amendment
binding on successors Direct democracy and popular sovereignty
Representative democracy President isn’t directly elected requires
Prime Minister isn’t directly elected Electoral College
HoC elections, HoL appointments Constitutional authority
Power is concentrated on the party that won an Members of executive aren’t members of
election majority legislature
Government ministers are members of President can’t prematurely end a Congress
Parliament session and call new elections while Congress
No Confidence vote can remove governments cannot remove whole executive and can only
Supreme Court is separate from Parliament remove a President through impeachment
PM and executive formulate legislative policies Senate approves President appointed judges
for MPs and parliamentary approval President can veto Congress legislation but
PM leads largest party in HoC needs Congress approval
Declaration of incompatibility Congress can override President’s veto
Supreme Court can rule executive actions and
Congress legislation as unconstitutional
Similarities
Bicameral legislature
Representative democracies where citizens vote for politicians to represent them
National government divided into executive, legislature and judiciary
Party system
UK US
Two and a half party system – Conservative and Two party system – Democrats vs Republicans
Labour but Liberal Democrats have a strong All members of the House and 98/100 Senate
Believes that group ideas and values influence behaviour of people within the group. Explains why
societies behave differently to one another.
Rational approach: compares individuals in different political systems. Individuals pursue rational
self-interests to achieve political goals. Useful approach for comparing members of executive,
legislature, political parties, pressure groups and more.
Structural approach: compares institutions in each political system and processes within each
institution. Believes that different political structures such as two political systems having a different
type of constitution will lead to different political outcomes.
Nature of constitution
UK US
Unwritten Codified
Evolved over time Ratified in 1789 in a single document consisting
Unentrenched – easily changed constitution of 7 articles and 27 amendments
through Acts of Parliament Entrenched – requires a supermajority (2/3
Parliamentary sovereignty – no Parliament is members of both houses of Congress) in
bound by predecessors and decisions aren’t support of amendment
binding on successors Direct democracy and popular sovereignty
Representative democracy President isn’t directly elected requires
Prime Minister isn’t directly elected Electoral College
HoC elections, HoL appointments Constitutional authority
Power is concentrated on the party that won an Members of executive aren’t members of
election majority legislature
Government ministers are members of President can’t prematurely end a Congress
Parliament session and call new elections while Congress
No Confidence vote can remove governments cannot remove whole executive and can only
Supreme Court is separate from Parliament remove a President through impeachment
PM and executive formulate legislative policies Senate approves President appointed judges
for MPs and parliamentary approval President can veto Congress legislation but
PM leads largest party in HoC needs Congress approval
Declaration of incompatibility Congress can override President’s veto
Supreme Court can rule executive actions and
Congress legislation as unconstitutional
Similarities
Bicameral legislature
Representative democracies where citizens vote for politicians to represent them
National government divided into executive, legislature and judiciary
Party system
UK US
Two and a half party system – Conservative and Two party system – Democrats vs Republicans
Labour but Liberal Democrats have a strong All members of the House and 98/100 Senate
